Maryland wildlife officials hunt for rabid beavers after two attacks at Cunningham Falls

State wildlife biologists and natural resources officers have been conducting an intensive survey of Cunningham Falls State Park’s Hunting Creek Lake after two separate incidents in July in which beavers tested positive for rabies bit a 13-year-old boy and a 19-year-old fisherman. The first attack on July 26 left the teenager with hand and chest injuries and required air evacuation to a Baltimore hospital; the second on Aug. 5 resulted in the fisherman driving himself to a hospital for treatment. Both victims are expected to recover after receiving post-exposure rabies vaccinations.

The incidents, described as unprecedented because rabies infection in beavers is extremely rare, led officials to close the popular swimming area and launch a comprehensive search for any remaining infected rodents. Furbearer biologist Joshua Tabora of the Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service said staff used foot patrols, boat surveys and thermal-imaging equipment to scan the 45-acre lake for beaver activity. "It is so hard to prove that something doesn’t exist," Tabora told reporters.

Authorities believe the two animals were a mated pair, each weighing about 35 pounds, and that they likely contracted the virus from another rabid animal, such as a raccoon, before transmitting it to each other. The Maryland Department of Health’s Laura Pfeiffer noted that rabies is common in small carnivores in the region, with raccoons accounting for most positive tests.

A trapper was hired and a veterinarian consulted as part of the effort to locate any additional beavers. The lake remains closed pending confirmation that no further rabid rodents are present. Experts said a third infected beaver would be highly unlikely, and the park could reopen once monitoring shows the threat has been eliminated.